Messala (crater)

Last updated
Messala
Messala crater 4062 h2.jpg
Coordinates 39°19′N60°04′E / 39.31°N 60.06°E / 39.31; 60.06
Diameter 122.4 km (76.1 mi)
Depth 1.1 km
Colongitude 313° at sunrise
Eponym Messala
The crater on the bottom right of an Atlas-centered image in selenochromatic format (Si) with some landmarks. More infos here : https://www.gawh.it/main/selenocromatica Atlas Si Ferruggia Zetta.jpg
The crater on the bottom right of an Atlas-centered image in selenochromatic format (Si) with some landmarks. More infos here : https://www.gawh.it/main/selenocromatica
Oblique view from Apollo 16 Messala crater AS16-P-5587.jpg
Oblique view from Apollo 16

Messala is a lunar impact crater of sufficient dimension to belong to the category of impact features known as walled plains. It is located in the northeastern part of the Moon, close enough to the rim to appear significantly foreshortened. It was named by the IAU in 1935. [1]

Contents

Nearly attached to the northern rim is the crater Schumacher. To the southwest is the prominent crater Geminus, and due south is the smaller Bernoulli.

The outer rim of this formation has received a significant amount of erosion due to minor impacts, but much of the outer wall retains its original shape and a certain degree of terracing. The rim is broken by smaller craters along the south, north, and northwest sides, designated Messala B, J, and K, respectively. Messala J has a narrow gouge in its eastern rim leading one crater diameter to the east. It is attached to a slightly larger crater which lies across the southern rim of Schumacher.

The interior floor is relatively level but contains irregularities in the surface at some locations. There are several small craters across the floor, which are now little more than low rims and depressions in the surface. The most notable of these is a ghost crater along the western inner wall.

Origin of name

The crater is named after Masha'allah ibn Atharī (c.740-d.815 AD), a Persian Jewish astrologer and astronomer from the city of Basra (now located in modern-day Iraq) who was the leading astrologer of the late 8th century. Masha'allah was one of the most prominent members of the commission which decided for Caliph al-Mansur (A.D. 754–775) that the propitious moment for the founding of Baghdad fell on 30 July 762.

Satellite craters

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Messala.

MessalaLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
A36.6° N53.8° E26 km
B37.4° N59.9° E18 km
C40.9° N65.8° E12 km
D40.5° N67.8° E28 km
E40.0° N64.9° E40 km
F38.9° N64.4° E32 km
G39.1° N68.6° E29 km
J41.1° N61.2° E15 km
K41.1° N58.5° E13 km

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geminus (crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

Geminus is a lunar impact crater that is located near the northeast limb of the visible Moon. In this position the crater appears oval in shape due to foreshortening, but it is actually more nearly circular in form. It was named by the IAU in 1935.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arrhenius (lunar crater)</span> Moon surface depression

Arrhenius is a lunar impact crater that is located just on the far side of the Moon, near the southwest limb. In this location the vicinity of the crater can be viewed during favorable librations, although it is viewed from on edge. To the south-southeast is the worn crater Blanchard, and De Roy lies further to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Back (crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

Back is a small lunar impact crater that is located near the eastern limb of the Moon. It lies on the northwest edge of the Mare Smythii, and the northeast rim is adjacent to the crater Schubert. To the west is Jenkins, and to the southwest is the Weierstrass–Van Vleck crater pair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernoulli (crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

Bernoulli is a lunar impact crater that is located in the northeast part of the Moon. It lies to the south of the crater Messala, and east of Geminus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fabry (crater)</span> Impact crater

Fabry is a large lunar impact crater of the form termed a walled plain. It is located on the far side of the Moon, just beyond the northeastern limb. Parts of this area are sometimes brought into view by the effects of libration, but the terrain is seen from the edge and so not much in the way of detail can be observed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cusanus (crater)</span> Lunar crater

Cusanus is a lunar impact crater that is located near the northeastern limb of the Moon. In this location the crater appears very foreshortened when observed from the Earth, and its visibility is affected by libration. The northern rim of Cusanus is nearly joined to the south-southeastern rim of the larger crater Petermann. To the west is Baillaud and to the southeast is Hayn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Firmicus (crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

Firmicus is a lunar impact crater that lies in the eastern part of the Moon's near side, so that from Earth it appears oval in shape due to foreshortening. It is, however, very nearly circular. The crater is located to the west of the Mare Undarum, and northeast of the similar-sized crater Apollonius. To the north of Firmicus are the craters van Albada and Auzout. Attached to its northwest rim is the Lacus Perseverantiae, a miniature lunar mare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damoiseau (crater)</span> Lunar impact crater

Damoiseau is a lunar impact crater that is located just to the west of the Oceanus Procellarum, in the western part of the Moon's near side. It lies due east of the prominent crater Grimaldi, a walled plain with a distinctive dark floor. Due south of Damoiseau is the crater Sirsalis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cori (lunar crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

Cori is a lunar impact crater that is located in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. It lies less than one crater diameter to the north of the crater Baldet. To the northeast is the crater Grissom. It is named after Gerty Cori, the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize and the first woman to win the prize in the category Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davisson (crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

Davisson is a lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon from the Earth. This crater lies across the eastern rim of the huge walled plain Leibnitz, and the rim and outer rampart intrudes into the interior floor of Leibnitz. To the east-northeast of Davisson is the walled plain Oppenheimer, a formation only somewhat smaller than Leibnitz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrington (crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

Carrington is a lunar impact crater that is located just to the northeast of the crater Schumacher, in the northeastern part of the near side of the Moon. Carrington was named by the IAU in 1935. It lies in a stretch of rough terrain between two small lunar maria, with Lacus Temporis to the northwest and the smaller Lacus Spei to the east. To the northeast of Carrington is Mercurius.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chandler (crater)</span> Lunar impact crater

Chandler is a lunar impact crater in the northern hemisphere, on the Moon's far side. It lies to the southeast of the large walled plain D'Alembert, and southeast of the slightly smaller Chernyshev crater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schumacher (crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

Schumacher is a lunar impact crater that lies in the northeast part of the Moon, just to the north of the larger walled plain Messala. It was named by the IAU in 1935.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weierstrass (crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

Weierstrass is a small lunar impact crater that is attached to the northern rim of the walled plain Gilbert, in the eastern part of the Moon. It also lies very near the crater Van Vleck, a similar formation just to the southeast that is almost attached to the outer rim. Due to its location, the crater appears foreshortened as seen from the Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swasey (crater)</span> Lunar crater

Swasey is a small lunar impact crater that lies along the eastern limb of the Moon. It lies near the southeastern edge of the Mare Smythii, to the west of the walled plain Hirayama. About one crater diameter to the northeast is Hume, and to the southwest is the merged crater pair of Kao and Helmert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chalonge (crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

Chalonge is a lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the southwest of the larger crater Lewis, in the outer skirt of ejecta that surrounds the Mare Orientale impact basin. To the southeast are the Montes Cordillera, a ring of mountains that encircle the Mare Orientale formation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dellinger (crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

Dellinger is a lunar impact crater that is located on the Moon's far side. It is attached to the southern rim of the crater Pannekoek. To the southeast lies the crater Marconi, and to the southwest is Chauvenet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dobrovolʹskiy (crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

Dobrovolʹskiy is a small lunar impact crater on the Moon's far side. The northwest part of its rim is intruded upon by the somewhat larger crater Shirakatsi, and the outer rampart of that feature covers most of the interior floor of Dobrovolʹskiy. Very little of the original floor now survives, with a small section near the southern inner wall. The remainder of the crater rim is somewhat circular and only mildly worn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richardson (lunar crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

Richardson is a large lunar impact crater located on the Moon's far side, just behind the eastern limb. It lies to the south of the huge walled plain Harkhebi, and to the east-southeast of the crater Vestine. Just to the northeast is Szilard, and to the southeast is Artamonov.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papaleksi (crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

Papaleksi is an impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies along the northeastern outskirts of the large crater Mandel'shtam. About 20 km to the north-northeast of Papaleksi is the similar crater Spencer Jones.

References

  1. "Messala". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. IAU/NASA/USGS . Retrieved 28 April 2024.